About the Camas, WA Market

Camas, Washington was incorporated as a town in 1906. Prior to its formal incorporation, LaCamas Colony Company selected the townsite for their new papermill. Owner of the Oregonian newspaper, Henry L. Pittock, needed water to power paper-making machines and found it in the lakes behind the LaCamas region. Camas is named after a flower that is similar to a hyacinth. It was a bulb that was an important part of the diet of Columbia River valley Indians. They called the flower “Kamass”.

Camas is home to approximately 19,620 residents and several large, hi-tech manufacturing industries. The city is home to Sharp Microelectronics and Sharp Labs of America, Linear Technology, Wafer Tech, Underwriters Laboratories, and others have built and located in this newer area. From its origins over 100 years ago as a paper-mill town, which still boasts a mill operated by Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Camas has expanded, developed, and successfully blended a mix of cultures, values, and vision.

Source: http://www.cityofcamas.us/index.php/ourcommunity/history

Camas WA Office Market

Vacancy Rates are beginning their climb after a 10-Year low. In 2008, rates were at 20% as of the beginning of 2018 rates were at an all time low of less than 2%. Forecasts for Vacancy rates is a slow rise to roughly 5% by 2022. Contrast that to the Market Rent per Sqft. In 2008, rates were in the middle of their fast down hill slide from $21.5 to less than $19 at the beginning of 2012. Today rates are sitting at $24 and are forecasted to rise to more than $26 by 2022.

Below is the 5-Year forecast for Market Sale Price per Sqft, showing a slow but steady increase.

Camas WA Industrial Market

Industrial Asset Value is on the rise and forecasted to continue to rise through 2022. Starting at $100M in 2009 and rising to 210M in 2018. Value is expected to hit 230M by 2022. Since 2009 the Industrial market has seen a rise, plateau and then a drop. Ending in 2018 at Less than 2%. Peaking at 19% in the second quarter of 2011 and the last quarter of 2015.

Below is the 5-Year Forecast of Market Rent per Sqft in the Industrial Sector.

Camas WA Retail Market

Cap Rates in Camas are projected to increase from their low this year. 2018 rates are sitting at 6.5% and expected to rise to 7.2% by 2022. Vacancy rates, however, are low at 4.9% and are forecasted to stay low through 2022.

Below is the 5-Year forecast for Market Rent per Sqft.

Camas WA Multi-Family Market

The Multi-Family is off to a great start this year with ~1.2k Units under construction. The steady increase in under construction units is at a 10 year high. Starting at less than 100 units in 2008 and increasing rapidly to our current numbers. With this increase in the number of units available, Vacancy rates have stayed fairly stable with small peaks and valleys during the last 10 years. 2008 started high at 6.5% and has dropped slightly to 4.5-5% in 2018. The 5-Year Forecast for vacancy rates is bringing rates up more confidently at 5.0%.

Market rent in the area has been rapidly increasing since 2008. Below is the 5-Year Forecast for Market Rent per Unit in the Vancouver/Camas/Washougal area.

Residential Market in Camas, WA

Comparing the average price of homes sold in the twelve months ending March 31st of this year ($370,200) with the average price of homes in the twelve months ending March 2017 ($334,100) shows an increase of 10.8%. the same comparison of the median shows an increase of 12.6% over the same period, from $297,500 to $334,900.

The median sales price for Camas/Washougal is $414,500.

** Please note all numbers, statistics and forecasts for Camas, WA are combined with the numbers from Washougal, WA.